Have any of you rented a plane to go flying at night just to gaze down on the holiday lights that brighten up your town? I'm thinking it might be something I might want to do when I get home and was wondering if it would really be worth the money to rent the plane.

I had the chance to fly SN's A330-200 on July 4 with a window seat in Business Class 5 years back from ATL to BRU. It was a late departure from ATL at that time, around 21:30 or so if I remember well. The night had just fallen and the fireworks were enlightening the skies all the way as we followed the East Coast from ATL to Nova Scotia. I recommend it: it's unforgettable!

Are holiday lights as noticible from the air? Is it worth taking a flight in a GA plane to observe them? (how about from your airline people? ever taken notice of them?)

Here in Kansas City, the Country Club Plaza is outlined in lights for the holidays, and GA flights over this area are so popular that the MCI ATIS usually has a notice to airmen of numerous GA aircraft in the vicinity of the Plaza.

This is my Christmas card this year.... It might be kind of fun to do, but watch out for obstacles (towers, phone lines, power lines, etc.) I think that this would be something very impressive to do with a date! Go for the most populated areas and watch out for restricted airspace around airports.

Actually, I should have said head for the more populated suburban areas as the most populated parts of town usually have the most lights, and it could be difficult to determine which are Christmas lights and which are year round lights. Some suburbs actually have contests to see which block has the best lights. This would be your primary area of interest.

I did go for a night flight several years ago in a skyhawk early december. It was not as spectacular as you would think - most people's christmas lights are done for people at street level and don't look that impressive from the air. They are also a little small.

On the other hand, any night flight in a light aircraft is neat, and if you live near a ski area that has night skiing, that is something to see.

"Six becoming three doesn't create more Americans that want to fly." -Adam Pilarski

If I've learned one thing in my many christmas time night-time trips through the middle of ButtF--k nowhere Kansas, I've learned that christmas lights are visable from very, very far away. From 2-3000 AGL the houses may be small, but you will have no trouble viewing them.

I remember that on New Year's Eve 2004 a departing American Airlines 757 (operating flight 2110 bound for Lima, Peru) passed right over downtown Miami, at a super low altitude (I thought it was going to crash into the Intercontinental Hotel and that it'd be a repeat of 9/11), or at least it looked like it. Probably to give the passengers a good look of the fireworks show, and the passengers must've enjoyed it. But it was scary as hell until the 'plane cleared the buildings.

Many local newspapers will outline the holiday light hot-spots. The Grand Rapids Press has an entire section devoted to it in the Sunday paper for the month of December. That may help you to find good neighborhoods to fly over.

Flew in to SJC tonight and I could see Holiday lights on approach. Not the most spectacular thing to see from the air at those altitudes, but I could see them starting from about 25 miles out at about 5000-6000 feet.

ALL views, opinions expressed are mine ONLY and are NOT representative of those shared by Southwest Airlines Co.

Fireworks from the air are awesome! Two years ago I rented a 182 on the 4th of July to cruise the fireworks off the San Diego coast. Got a fantastic view of Del Mar & La Jolla shows up close (but not that close) just offshore at 500'. The other shows around town were visible in the distance as well. I highly recommend it. As for the holiday lights, those are seen best up close.

Christmas lights from the air are very beautiful. Especially if there is snow on the ground. Unless you plan on doing this at home, you probably won't see snow in Daytona Adam, but if you're from somewhere up north and can afford it, I would rent a plane and go for a trip around town. This makes a very unique and romantic date too (hint, hint).

From 2-3000 ft agl you can clearly make out the lights on houses. It actually can make cross countries easier in the midwest because many houses and towns out in the middle of nowhere will be more visible.

I remember once flying ORD-GRR back in the 70's. As we throttled back over the eastern shores of Lake Michigan the scenery below looked like a Currier & Ives painting. Full Moon, snow on the ground, all the lights from the farm houses and smoke coming out of the chimneys. You couldn't hear the planes engines, just gliding along through the air. Just beautiful! But it was COLD!